The Edge of Equilibrium
by gioviianni
Summary: When the daughter of the most powerful pureblood line is orphaned, she is sent back to the British Wizarding World. Encased within the walls of Hogwarts and stuck between a warring battle that has split the student population of the school apart, Allegra is forced to realize that the deciding factor between the light and the dark has come to rest upon her shoulders.
1. Chapter 1

**SUMMARY:** When the daughter of the most powerful pureblood line is orphaned, she is sent back to the origin of her family's name, the British Wizarding World. Due to live until the end of her school term encased behind the magical walls of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, there she enters the world of the Second Wizard War and meets the ever-changing sides inside the student population themselves; _the Phoenix and the Serpents._ While doing her best to figure out the people behind the murders of her parents, Allegra Peverell delves deeper into the tensions that are rising as well as doing her best to ignore the devious, passionate attraction between her and the dangerous leader of the Serpents: Draco Malfoy.

**WARNING:** Draco/OC story with strong profanity; set in the time of the Second Wizarding War and Harry Potter's 7th year. Compliancy: until the end of the second of the sixth book, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, and Dumbledore's death did not happen as well as their trip to Voldemort's cave for Slytherin's Locket.

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><p><em>Toulouse, France; August 23rd, 1997<em>

The warring winds blew through the tangled strands of her wet hair and the sky thundered with an unmatched anger. Her clothes were matted down against her paled skin as she continued to stare in shock at the lifeless bodies of what were once her parents; mutilated to the point of no recognition. Their blood, a jarring red, mixed with the water as it ran down what was left of the flesh upon their bodies. A single glance down at their torsos revealed the messy words in bold: _blood traitor. _

_What is a blood traitor? Who could be this-this evil enough to do such a thing? _Her mind raced with thoughts as she tried to figure out whether this was an unsightly illusion or an unfortunate dream, but to her dismay, she was well alive and er parents were _dead_. Blurred bodies draped in the practical color of black and the unmistakable flash of green and red lights were all she could comprehend, before the familiar tug in her stomach snapped her back to the reality of her situation and she screamed out in protest, fighting against the constricting hands upon her wrists.

"Mum! Dad! No!" She cried out, struggling and scratching and biting like a wild animal to get to her parents with an earnestness like never before. She had to hear them breathe, to feel her mother pat her cheeks whenever she felt flustered, to feel her father grab her in a tight hug and lift her up high in the air. But that was not realistic, nor will it ever happen. Because with a single glance at their bodies, she knew they would never be alive once more.

And that was the one thing that made her body limp and let her mind surrender to the spreading darkness in her eyes.

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><p><em>Hogwarts; September 1997<em>

It was on a dreary September morning that news came in. Two boys, one with strawberry-blonde hair and the other with black curls, were found in the Great Hall of their school much too early while others decided to sleep in late. Only a few were awake enough to see the school owls fly in and dump a large rolled-up paper on their plates, and curiously, they opened it up to find a large headline staring boldly at them in their eyes. The boys gasped out loud as they skimmed over the article, looked at each other, then jumped over their bench and darted out of the doors for their common room.

Harry looked up from his ongoing board game of Wizard's Chess that he was playing with Ron, and Hermione's head swiveled around to find out what had caught his attention for so long. To her utter confusion, she watched as a crowd of students began to surround Seamus and Dean, and the whispers began to float to her ears. Some in shock, others nervously.

Ron frowned impatiently, "Oi! Finnegan! What's going on?" He bellowed from across the room in query. Attention turned to the Golden Trio, sitting by the fireplace, and watched as the slightly bulky form of Neville Longbottom rushed up to them with the Daily Prophet in his hands. He plopped down on the floor in-between the three and unrolled the bunched up newspaper.

"What? Another article from that horrendous woman, Rita Skeeter?" Hermione said aggravatedly.

Neville shook his head and pointed at the pictures at the top of the paper, "Look."

Hermione set her book down and stood up while Harry and Ron peered over his shoulder, both curious as to what the fuss was about. Three sets of horrified intakes of breath was soon heard, and Neville's face paled even more at their reactions.

"A-are those _muggles_?" Ron said.

Hermione shook her head and pointed a quivering finger at the clear depiction, "No, Ron. They were muggleborn and half-blood supporters, see? Look at-"

"Peverell."

Three heads swiveled to Harry; whose flashing green eyes lingered on a single line in the article. Hermione frowned at her friend and Ron stared back and forth between his friends with a blank, i'm-not-getting-this-will-you-please-explain-it-to-me look on his face. Hermione's eyes followed Harry's to the paper, and with a sudden eagerness, took it out of Neville's hands and began to read it aloud.

"It is with a sadness and grief that we inform the Wizarding World of the deaths of Margaery and Damascus Peverell..." She trailed off and a dawn of understanding came upon both her's, Ron's, and Neville's faces.

It had been a very long summer for all who supported Dumbledore and Harry; battles against the Death Eaters lasted for days and the three would sit up all night waiting for the adults to come back to Grimmauld Place, with hopes that they were still alive. News came in every morning until they became a common occurrence: deaths of innocent muggles and muggleborns alike, the loss of many Ministry jobs for all the members of the Order of the Phoenix, the often sightings of Dark Marks found in the skies. _The death of their best dueler, Alastor Moody_.

After the attempt on Albus Dumbledore's life, it had changed everything, and it had signaled the start of war. And with the resignation of Albus Dumbledore from his post as Headmaster of Hogwarts as well as his disappearance from public eyes, they were met with Severus Snape as Headmaster at the Welcoming Feast and the recruiting of Professors from Durmstrang because of the sudden, _suspicious_ disappearance of their other teachers. Unfortunately to their disbelief, Dumbledore's last wishes for them was to attend their last year of school, and he spent every available time that he could to teach them about Voldemort's past, his secrets, the _Deathly Hallows_. The only good thing that they could find was that their Head of Houses; McGonagall, Flitwick, Sprout, Slughorn, and even Hagrid still remained, to their relief. And with the arrival of fellow housemates the Golden Trio did not feel as threatened as they should have.

However, the rudeness and sneers between the Gryffindors and Slytherins had grown into pure malice and a dangerous tension that was felt by everyone, and whispers of students who were members of the Order of the Phoenix or others with the Dark Mark upon their arms began to spread. It was not safe to walk around by yourself if you were siding with the light or the dark. The two sides; to which were called the Phoenixes and the Serpents, were like push-and-pull. Both had leaders, both held powerful witches and wizards, both were equally _balanced_. An unspoken agreement was felt by all the students that you would not go around without friends; else you would find yourself bruised and bloody. Worse, _dead_.

"...the last living adult purebloods of the Peverell line. Not only were they large contributors to the advancement of St. Mungo's medicines, but they were widely respected and loved by many. 'Margaery was like any other mother: loving, caring, and much too worrisome for her young age. I used to tell her when we were young that we don't get any younger and her wrinkles will still continue to grow bigger', said Horace Slughorn, a friend to the Peverell's as well as renowned Potions Professor at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry."

"Bloody hell," Ron exclaimed and peered down at the picture, "Look at their bodies! They weren't just killed, they were mutilated!"

Hermione shot him a glare at his awe-filled excitement and snapped, "This isn't a game, Ronald Weasley!"

Neville gave them a small smile and changed the subject, "Look here, Hermione." Hermione glared at Ron one last time before turning her head back to the Daily Prophet and gasped.

"Damascus Peverell was known widely for his contributions to Arithmancy as well as his knowledge in the creation and production of spells. His most famous spells were the Patronus Charm and-"

Ron and Harry exchanged exasperated looks over her head and Neville shook his head in amusement at the girl; her interest in knowledge was always a topic of humor amongst many of the students in their year.

"_Harry_!" The aforementioned person jumped in fright at her loud shriek as she yanked on his sleeve and jabbed her finger into the paper, "Harry! They had a child! See! 'Their only child and last heir to the Peverell line is Allegra Peverell, who has been taken under protection and to her parent's will, will be attending Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry until further notice."

Harry exchanged looks with Hermione, Ron, and Neville and immediately decided that he did not like the situation at all. If she truly was a child of the Peverells, then she must have been powerful. And if she was to be sorted into Slytherin, it would become an even bigger problem.

He did not find any problems with the Slytherins at first, but as time passed, his hatred of them grew. He did not like their choice of side. Voldemort was a poison and his followers helped inject it into kids who could had potential to become something great, but were now harsh and unrelenting to their supposed 'enemies'. Everyone was either filled with distrust, wariness, or a fear that should not have existed in the souls of students at school. He worried for his friends, for Ginny, for what would happen to him and everyone else.

But most of all, he worried for what was to become of his last school year.

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><p><strong>AN:** short author's note, VERY SORRY for the confusion at first, that short two paragraphs was not the first chapter. ;_;. I'm new to and it's publishing/new story process so please bare with me as I try to get a feel of the new tools I'm presented with! Hope you enjoyed the first chapter/prologue. Did you like it? Was there anything wrong with it that you have a desperate need to comment on? Anything to improve it to your liking is welcome in the reviews! ;Victoria


	2. Chapter 2

**CHAPTER TWO**

_Hogwarts; November 1997_

"And this is the Great Hall, where you will be eating all three of your meals."

Allegra ignored the Professor's glance once more that was filled with concern and sympathy, evidently her reaction to whatever she found on the orphaned girl's face. It had been two weeks since the night her parents had been killed, one week leaving her behind as she was trapped in a blanket of darkness in her mind, the other spent healing and trying to get over the shock of what she had been through. Although she was up and moving just like any other person, she felt adrift, like what her eyes were seeing had yet to be understood in her mind. As if this was all a dream; the new hallways, the new people around her, the new clothes given to her, even the air was different. But then again it was true.

She was now in Scotland, in the most famous school that hosted the education of magical students in all of Europe. She remembered awakening in the infirmary a week ago.

_A week earlier;_

_The black space around her was consuming her. She was drowning in waves of grief and sadness, which created a large hole where she wished her heart had been. She felt empty and cold inside and had no way of getting rid of the tainted feeling. She didn't want to know how this felt like; didn't want to know how losing the only people in her life felt like._

'_Allegra, sweetling, where are you?"_

_Her mother's voice was gentle and elegant, like a whisper of music in Allegra's ears. The woman's voice, however, was like screeching metal. It hurt her ears with the way she cackled and screeched as red light exploded all around her. She was crawling and scraping her palms over the destroyed surface that cradled broken glass all around it, blood gushing out of her cuts and wounds. Finally, after what seemed like forever with the ear-shattering screaming of her mother's torture and the snarls of her father's protesting, she had escaped the wreckage of what had once been her house._

_And was greeted with the gruesome sight of her parents bodies ripped into pieces, blood splattering over her cheek when the black-cloaked men and women decapitated them with a final swish of their wands. Her house collapsed with a loud roar, the fire enveloping her home with flames, before disappearing from sight. The loud ringing in her ears remained and rendered her disoriented, vulnerable as the red curse flew her way and hit her form and she collapsed on the ground, writhing in pain as what felt like knives were carving her, stabbing her from within, digging into her skin._

"_You'll never know true happiness."_

_A scream forced its way out of her throat._

"_You'll never know victory."_

_She choked on her blood as she bit down on her tongue to stop her screams. Her eyes rolled back momentarily before they stopped the curse, and she almost had thought they had given up._

"_But you'll know what happens to those who betray the Dark Lord." The red light drew closer once more._

_The torture lasted for hours, until her voice became hoarse from her screams and her bones were chilled down with a weary tiredness that no girl her age should ever seem to possess. With a last triumphant smirk and a glance at what they had done to the Peverell family, the cloaked figures disappeared in a whirl of black and left her to stare off at the ruin of her life, with emptiness in her eyes._

_You coward, you coward, you coward, you coward, you coward. Voices repeated over and over in her head. You should have died with them!_

_Her parents' eyes flew open and they stared into her soul, malicious smirks forming on their lips that had once sent her proud smiles._

"_It's okay sweet darling," A venomous voice, dark and dangerous and chilling, that held an undertone of mock adoration, "because…."_

_The bloody body of her parents, headless and legless, revived and Allegra screamed with horror when they lunged for her._

"_You are next."_

Shocked and wary being her emotions was the understatement of the year; her nightmares had made her bones weak and created an everlasting lump in her throat that still had yet to disappear. This was the place where her parents had wanted her to finish her education at, to her everlasting confusion and frustration. What was so special about it that she had to be sent away from the only place she could call home, the only place she ever felt safe?

_Had felt safe_, her traitorous thoughts reminded her, the images of the dead, mutilated bodies of her parents not yet stored away at the back of her mind. _Nowhere is safe for you now, not even in this school full of students._

"Where you will sit for all your meals," Minerva McGonagall gestured to the four, same wooden long tables that trailed down the entirety of the Great Hall with decorative and distinctive banners floating above each of them, "is decided upon your Sorting, which will happen this evening for dinner. There are four Houses in which you can be sorted in; Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin."

Allegra half-listened to her after glancing up at the banners only to be mesmerized by the ceiling of the hall. She had expected the same normal, boring tone of stones but was surprised to see an enchanted ceiling. It depicted a most beautiful sunset, with the rosy hues of the skies accompanied by the pretty blending of oranges and yellows. She adored it.

The stern woman, after feeling that the younger girl had a good enough look of where she would be spending the majority of her mealtimes, gestured for her to follow as she strode through the large and heavy doors of the Great Hall and up many staircases Allegra silently wondered why exactly there needed to be houses, and as if she had asked the question aloud, a book appeared above her and she caught it just before it hit the floor.

_Hogwarts: A History_. She read in her mind and looked up curiously at McGonagall who gave her a nod in return. "A little light reading to help distract you from your thoughts; it tells you almost everything about the school."

It might have been the first time in the last two weeks she's said more than a few words, but she couldn't help it. "A little light reading? Are you sure your standards aren't a bit too high, Professor?" The book weighed a ton in her hands and it didn't matter that she was still a bit weak from however long she'd been in a traumatic coma.

She saw a small ghost of a smile on the Professor's lips before Minerva McGonagall gave her a sharp look and continued forwards. Allegra shook her head in slight amusement; sensing a kind soul in the woman behind her mask of sternness. She was taken away from her thoughts, however, by the quickening of her heartbeat with every step of the stair she had to climb. She was not an active girl as she preferred to spend her time in books rather than play the sport of Quidditch like other wizards and witches. But she was even weaker than usual due to the fact that it had been just hours since she was relieved of bed rest and was finally able to rest her weight on the soles of her feet.

By the time they had left the first floor and made their way down the hallways upon the third, she was sweating buckets and her heart was thrumming a fast rhythm in her chest. She tried desperately to get her breathing steady but to no avail, she remained the panting and rancid mess of a female she had once been; her sweating doing nothing to improve that. Her hair was not brushed, the dark circles underneath her eyes were blatant on her bare face, and the grey sweater and black leggings Professor McGonagall had transfigured for her just hung too loose on her frame. She felt unclean, all she wanted at the moment was to take a warm shower and snuggle into a comfortable bed, the thoughts continuing to increase the desire of her needs. Or rather, wants.

Allegra was interrupted from her internal whining at the sound of the Professor's voice, "Miss Peverell," She called and gestured her over. Allegra complied, and stood on the steps of yet another staircase, listening as McGonagall spoke aloud to no one. "Felix Felicis."

_Liquid Luck...what I wouldn't give to have that before that night_. Her thoughts ventured elsewhere for a moment at the irony of her situation but she was drawn back to reality when the Gargoyle statue in front of her retreated backwards and the staircase began to move upwards. _This school has far too many staircases._

She stared in bewilderment when the staircase stopped moving as a room came into view and Professor McGonagall moved away. The room was lit up by the many windows, providing her a clear sight of the beautiful grounds of the school, awing her yet again by the view. It was decorated in browns, silvers, and greens and contained lots of bookshelves as well. A large desk was pushed into the corner with large potions cauldron perched upon it with little vials of potions here and there, and sitting in the center of the neat room behind a desk loaded with parchment was the Headmaster of the school. _Severus Snape._

"I trust that Minerva here has toured you successfully around the school?" He said, shooting an irritated glance at the woman in question, who responded with a stern glare.

"I-yes, Proffess-I mean, Headmast- uh, sir?" She cleared her throat, her cheeks flushing red at the clear sign of her nervousness. "Yes, Headmaster sir."

She was slightly intimidated by the way he stared into her eyes coldly but was distracted by the clearing of a throat and turned to stare at the other two occupants in the office who she did not notice at first. Facing her with a tensed smile was a girl, dressed neatly with wild brunette hair and soft amber eyes. The other, she could not see his features, but she knew him to be just as enigmatic as the girl in front of her even though he was facing the windows and staring at the grounds with his hands tucked in his pockets.

She turned back to the Headmaster who had already begun to explain why Professor McGonagall had brought her here. "Our school is dictated by a strict system where only the best and brightest students in each year and house, starting from their fifth year, are picked to become Prefects. A pair per year is picked; one male and female, who are given extra authority and responsibility to control the student population on matters that we, as the adult figures, do not have time to address."

Allegra nodded in response and he continued, "They have the ability to take House Points away from a student and will always be patrolling after curfew to catch any students that are milling around. However, a special position is given to the top female and male student of their seventh year who is in charge of our Prefects, and they are our Head Boy and Head Girl."

Realization dawned on her face then and she gave the girl a polite nod that in return, nodded back at her. She then turned back around to Snape who silently slid a piece of parchment and a loaded, simple bag towards her and gestured for her to take it.

McGonagall points at the piece of parchment paper, "That is your class schedule for the entire year, based off the information from your previous school and the bag contains all of the necessities that you will need for your classes. Any questions?"

Allegra shook her head. McGonagall sent her one last somber glance before turning to the other two young adults in the room. "Miss Granger and Mister Malfoy, if you could escort her around the school one last time, I'm afraid we did not go over the location of her classes."

The Granger female nodded and turned around to look at the male, whose back was still turned to them.

"You coming or not, Malfoy?" She said, coldly.

The tone of her voice surprised Allegra greatly seeing as to how it had contradicted her warm smile. Now she was wary as she followed the girl out of the Headmaster's office, but not before looking back to spare the boy a glance. Her eyes locked onto a pair of smoldering silver eyes instead of a broad back, and she gasped lightly, unbeknownst to the two adults who were discussing something in quiet tones on the other side of the room.

Her heartbeat quickened when his eyes darkened at her reaction and a flash of electricity ran down the back of her spine. She hurried out the door to escape his gaze, missing the small smirk that made its way on his lips, as he calmly strode after them.

* * *

><p>Five hours later found her in front of the gigantic doors of the Great Hall. She was waiting for Severus Snape to begin speaking until it was her time to walk through the doors.<p>

_How will I be sorted? Do they give me an assessment of my abilities? Will I have to cast a spell in front of the entire student population? What happens when I fail to be sorted? Will they kick me out?_ Her mind was racing and she had the urge to bite her nails from the anxiety, but they were unfortunately covered in bandages due to the damage caused when she had been put under the Cruciatus curse. This was the first time in a while that she had felt something other than that blank emptiness, and she did not know if that was a good or a bad thing.

"If you keep doing that, then you'll wear a hole through your shoes."

Her head swirled around and she stopped pacing to meet the sight of two boys, both dressed in robes decorated with silver and a beautiful sage green. One she recognized as the Head Boy, Malfoy, watching her with his casual leaning against the wall as she flushed red in embarrassment. The boy who had spoken was as attractive as his friend, with his olive skin, bright hazel eyes, and black hair. They were complete opposites but she knew they couldn't make a better pairing with their identical commandeering presences and their confident stances.

"I'm sorry for startling you," He said with a warm smile, his eyes crinkling in the corners, the slight wrinkles showing her just how often he smiled. His voice was smooth, but his British accent was slightly different than most she had met so far, containing a hint of another, different accent. "How are you feeling? Big day, isn't it? Or rather, evening."

"I-yes…" She said hesitantly, still not as used to speaking as much due to her previous incident. "I'm a bit…worried."

He chuckled, "The Sorting really isn't as frightening as most make it out to be, tradition, really. I think you'll do just fine."

"Thank you…" She said, trailing off and his eyes brightened as he caught her unspoken question.

"The name is Blaise Zabini." He said and she held out her hand to shake his, only to be surprised when he took it, bowed his head, and pressed a kiss to the back of it. "It's a pleasure to meet you, right, Draco?"

Allegra followed his eyes. The man in question up righted himself from the wall and cocked an eyebrow. She had a feeling he was more interested in studying her as if she was a riddle that he had to figure out rather than listening to the small talk they were making.

"Charming, Zabini, very charming." He simply said.

Allegra secretly wondered if all the males in this school were as attractive as the two in front of her with their velvet-like, baritone voices.

"I try." Blaise grinned and then turned to Allegra. "I will see you later, Allegra."

She quietly said goodbye and he disappeared into the Great Hall. Later, she will wonder how exactly he knew her name. Her nerves, almost forgotten, returned back in full force when the loud chattering escaped to her ears. _Merlin, how many students are in this school?_

"Are you afraid of large crowds?"

Her eyes drifted down to the floor as she shuffled and curled a strand of hair behind her ear.

"Yes." She admitted, "I was home-schooled for most of my life, until…" She helplessly gestured to her hands and he caught onto her meaning.

"Harsh experiences help to shape a strong person." He quoted, and then added, "But no one should never be subjected to a loss as great as yours."

She laughed humorlessly, "If only the entire world could realize that, then this wouldn't have happened in the first place." She bitterly added.

He opened his mouth to respond when she was distracted by footsteps from behind her. She turned and his mouth fell into a tight line when three figures stopped in front of them.

One was a boy with black hair and glasses, his bright green eyes the first thing to catch her attention, and then she moved onto the next boy with flaming red hair and pink skin. In between the two was the Head Girl who was glaring mutinously at her. Rather, the male behind her. In fact all three of them were glaring at Draco. Allegra silently wondered why.

"Is there a problem?" He spoke up from behind her. His voice was cold and hard, an immense difference to his tone from earlier. The atmosphere immediately changed and the three students in front of him tensed. They were dressed most differently than Blaise Zabini and Draco Malfoy, the colors of their school robes being a vibrant red and gold.

"Don't you brainwash her with your pureblood nonsense, ferret." The red-haired one spat. _Ferret? That's an unusual…insult._

"Oh dear, you've caught my hand in the cookie jar, however will I survive now that my plans have been ruined?" He mocked and Allegra couldn't resist the small quirk of her lips.

"Get away from her, Malfoy." Granger fumed, "She's innocent, unlike you!"

"Jealousy is expected from the other girls, but to see that come from you? Tsk, tsk. You're breaking down every single one of my high expectations of you, Hermione."

His words made Allegra frown. She observed the darkening of the black-haired boy's face, as well as the other, Weasley, she guessed, and knew there was a long history between the four. However, in her perusal of the three students in front of her, she caught sight of a scar on the forehead of the black-haired boy, and her eyes widened. _Lightning-shaped scar...Harry Potter._

Living in a part of France where wizards and witches were not usually found often made her blind to the outside world, both Muggle and Wizarding. But she was not so defeater of Lord Voldemort. She knew Lord Voldemort had tried to kill him due to a prophecy that predicted he would be stopped from his attempt to reign in the entirety of the world and eradicate the existence of all Muggles and Muggle-borns. But he had defeated Lord Voldemort instead, was crowned savior, but now a decade later the Dark Lord had come back once again.

Her thoughts were once again interrupted by their argument, steadily growing louder.

"Shut the fuck up, Malfoy." Granger swore, her cheeks reddening and her eyes flashing with anger. "You know nothing!"

"Oh I know many things, Granger, much more than you will ever find out. Would you like to see?"

Just as the fight was about to advance to the next level, Allegra heard her name be called from within the Great Hall and glanced back and forth between the four with confusion. "Is this my cue?" She asked out loud and hoping that it would keep them distracted.

Draco Malfoy raised an eyebrow, amusement flashing in his eyes for a second, before it was hidden by coolness once more. "Choose the right side, Peverell, if you know what's good for you."

He disappeared into the Great Hall, followed by the still-fuming three, and she followed their motions although she was still greatly bewildered. _The right side? What does that even mean? Why in the world do they speak in riddles?_

Allegra entered the Great Hall, feeling the doors shut close behind her and almost instantly every eye in the room was upon her. The three students; Harry Potter, Weasley, and Hermione Granger sat down at the Gryffindor table and Draco Malfoy at the Slytherin. She was shaking slightly, her footsteps uneven as Snape gestured for her to sit on the stool perched in the middle of the Hall.

What seemed like forever was mere seconds as she finally made her way to the stool, and she sat down upon it, blinking in confusion as a hat was put upon her head. She almost fell over her stool when a voice began to speak in her head.

'_Aha! It has been a very long time since I have sorted a Peverell. Yes, very long indeed. Tell me, Miss Allegra Peverell, how are your parents? Margaery and Damascus Peverell? A bright couple, don't you think?'_

"My parents are dead." She heard a couple of gasps and realized she had just spoken that aloud.

'_The mouth is not really needed when you are speaking to me, thinking it is just as fine.'_

'_My parents are dead_,' she repeated.

'_Yes, I sense a darkness in you that can only be created when one loses their loved ones to murder. Hmm, but that darkness often leads down two roads: a sense of vengeance where cunning and bravery meet, and the courage that you will need to move on from your harsh experiences. Cunning and courage…not unlike the traits that make up the Slytherin and Gryffindor houses, but I sense a desire of knowledge in you, unrelenting loyalty to those you love most as well._'

'_I don't understand. You base the Sorting on our personalities? But it doesn't make sense; anyone could be cunning and courageous._'

'_We sort based on your stronger characteristics, and from what I see, your most dominant trait is the desire for more knowledge which complements your witty mind very nicely. But, I for one think you may need some help in that area.'_

'_Why thank you, talking Hat._' She thinks sarcastically.

'_Keep talking and maybe the talking Hat will become the kick-you-out-of-this-school-on-your-behind hat._' It _sniffs_ in disdain. '_Although you will find happiness and friendship in Gryffindor and Hufflepuff, and maybe in Slytherin as well, there is one house that will benefit you and turn you into the young lady that this world needs._'

'_What? Wait-'_

"RAVENCLAW!"

The entire Hall was silent for a few moments. Then, an ear-shattering applause ripped through the rows of once-completely shocked students.


End file.
